I'M SUCH A FRAUD

Ever caught yourself with that kind of thought? If so, today's blog post is just for you.

Feeling like a fraud has a name: Impostor Syndrome. This phenomenon was first described in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes while studying high-performing female professionals. They found that the roots of this feeling were often linked to two types of family history. The first type included women who had a close relative considered more intelligent. The second type involved women who were highly praised by their parents throughout their academic journey until they began to question their parents' perceptions and, most importantly, their own.

In the 1970s, as women sought emancipation and professional qualifications, researchers discovered that maintaining a perception of themselves as less intelligent allowed these women to expect less social rejection. In other words, feeling like a fraud provided a sort of social safety net, ensuring acceptance in environments where powerful, assertive women were not yet fully welcomed. In mental health, we call this tradeoff "secondary gain"—the idea that exhibiting certain symptoms can bring about some form of advantage. Feeling like a fraud, despite professional success, helped these women gain social acceptance in a time when such acceptance was crucial.

Fast forward to 1991, and researchers John Kolligian Jr. and Robert Sternberg suggested a different perspective. They proposed that individuals with Impostor Syndrome have high self-criticism and become anxious about others' evaluations. This anxiety drives them to excel and achieve excellent results. To reduce the possibility of exposure and diminish anxiety, they constantly monitor their behavior and the impressions they leave, which can contribute to others seeing them as insecure. From my perspective, being perceived as insecure doesn't fully explain the feeling of being a fraud as well as the secondary gain theory does. However, constantly questioning the image one projects to the world certainly plays a role in feeling like a fraud.

In the article "Impostorismo e perfeccionismo desadaptativo na formação médica: uma revisão à luz da Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental" (Impostor Syndrome and Maladaptive Perfectionism in Medical Education: A Review in the Light of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), Priscila Palma and I demonstrate how university students can encounter impostorism when faced with the challenges of starting their university studies. This can lead to the feeling that they don't deserve to be there and that the skills required are beyond their capabilities, especially in highly competitive environments. The secondary gain here? Protection from family, friends, and professors, who would recognize that they did their best despite the overwhelming challenges.

It's well established today that behaviors can influence thoughts and feelings, and vice versa. I once heard about a Brazilian woman accepted into a postgraduate program at MIT who likely experienced Impostor Syndrome, feeling inadequate and undeserving. Her solution? Fake it till you make it.

In fact, "fake it till you make it" is a popular phrase that suggests adopting behaviors, attitudes, and expressions associated with a desired outcome or role can help you achieve your goals. There are, of course, more conventional approaches, but this one does find roots and explanations in various concepts of Psychology. One key concept is self-perception theory, proposed by psychologist Daryl Bem. This theory suggests that people infer their attitudes and feelings from their behavior. So, if you act confidently, you may start to perceive yourself as more confident. This implies that by "faking" a desired behavior, you can change your internal perceptions and feelings to align with that behavior over time.

Cognitive dissonance, developed by Leon Festinger, also plays a role. This theory posits that individuals experience discomfort when holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. To reduce this discomfort, they are motivated to change their beliefs or behaviors to achieve consistency. When you "fake" a behavior inconsistent with your self-view, the resulting discomfort can motivate you to genuinely adopt the behavior to alleviate the discomfort.

In terms of behavioral activation, often used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), “faking till you make it” would involve engaging in behaviors aligned with desired outcomes or emotions. By acting in a certain way, you can influence your emotional state and mental well-being. Acting confidently, for example, can lead to improvements in mood and self-efficacy, reinforcing the behavior.

Albert Bandura's social learning theory emphasizes the role of observation and imitation in learning new behaviors. By modeling the behaviors of successful or confident individuals, you can learn to adopt those behaviors yourself. Additionally, engaging in positive behaviors can lead to positive feedback from others, creating a positive feedback loop. For example, acting confidently can result in positive social interactions, which in turn boosts your confidence. This initial "faking" can create a cycle where the behavior is reinforced and becomes more natural over time.

Practical examples include someone nervous about public speaking who might "fake" confidence by standing tall, making eye contact, and speaking assertively. Over time, these behaviors can reduce anxiety and increase genuine confidence. Similarly, a person starting a new job might "fake" expertise and decisiveness, which can help them gain real knowledge and experience, eventually making them truly proficient. Not that easy, I know what’s running through your mind.

Anyway, it is important to strive for authenticity. Consistently pretending to be something you're not can lead to stress and burnout. Moreover, it's crucial to ensure that "faking it" doesn't lead to unethical behavior, such as lying about qualifications or skills. In summary, "fake it till you make it" leverages various psychological principles to help individuals adopt desired behaviors and attitudes, ultimately leading to genuine change and improvement.

In 2018, an evolutionary analysis of Impostor Syndrome by Jennifer Barrow identified factors that favor the condition, including personality traits, locus of control (the way one attributes failure to others or to their own), family dynamics, work environment, and sociodemographic factors like being an immigrant or a negatively identified minority. Protective factors include parental care and warmth, being married, a positive identity as an ethnic minority, a sense of not being alone in facing impostor feelings, professional experience, and longevity in one's career.

If you see yourself in any of these situations, be aware that feeling like a fraud can be more complex and impactful than you might realize. It's also important to remember that facing life's challenges is never easy. Feelings of inadequacy can be present without necessarily making us sick. Being compassionate towards ourselves can help us navigate difficulties more effectively. Additionally, the patient has at their disposal a myriad of psychotherapeutic approaches to help them with this and other issues, no matter how succesfully they may "fake it".

Please reach my article here for further reading about this topic (in Portuguese).

***

I hope your mistakes and fears make you stronger.

And I hope you become the best possible version of yourself.

Image source: Ferran Traité / iStock